Big deficits no sweat for Kuemper in state volleyball quarterfinals

CEDAR RAPIDS — When Carroll Kuemper flips the switch, no deficit is too large.

Seven points in the second set? No problem. Six points in the third? No sweat.

'I guess it goes to show that we're capable of everything,' Kalee Peter said after the second-ranked Knights swept No. 12 Iowa Falls-Alden, 25-11, 25-22, 25-20, in a Class 3A quarterfinal at the state volleyball tournament Wednesday afternoon at the U.S. Cellular Center.

Kuemper (39-2) won its 15th straight match and advanced to the semifinals for the third straight year. The Knights will face No. 3 Waterloo Columbus (34-8) at 2 p.m. Thursday.

They lost in the semifinal round to Dike-New Hartford last year.

'That was a team everybody wanted to watch and nobody wanted to play,' Peter said. 'That's the kind of team we want to be.'

Kuemper scored its first point before the first serve was delivered on an 'administrative error' on Iowa Falls-Alden (31-6), and the Knights sailed in the opener.

'It was easy, and we thought, 'OK, we got this,'' Aimee Adams said. 'Then we started freaking out and getting frantic.'

Iowa Falls-Alden enjoyed a 19-12 lead in the second set, and it was still 21-18 before Kuemper made the pivotal push, a six-point run that swung the momentum their way.

The Cadets struck early again in Game 3 for a 10-4 lead. This time, the Knights got back into it immediately, taking a 14-13 lead and pulling away.

Kuemper enjoyed a 43-22 bulge in kills. Adams recorded 14, Kara Peter nine. Maci Overmohle distributed 36 assists.

Grace Renaud led Iowa Falls-Alden with seven kills.

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